Automatic fire alarm energizing means



July 24, 1962 A. F. scluTo` 3,046,536

AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM ENERGIZING MEANS Filed May 25, 1960 United States Patent .O

3,046,536 AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM ENERGIZING MEANS Alfred F. Sciuto, 4955 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis, Mo. Filed May 23, 1960, Ser. No. 31,048 4 Claims. (Cl. 340-227) The present invention relates generally to fire alarms, and more particularly to novel and simple means adapted to automatically close a circuit whereby to energize an alarm when the ambient temperature in the immediate vicinity of said means rises considerably above the normal.

. Primarily, ybut not exclusively, the present invention is designed for use in dwellings, schools, hospitals, andthe like, that are already provided with one or 'more conventional electric circuits, as will be apparent. In other Words, the alarm energizing means taught by the present invention may be incorporated in an independent circuit adapted to be plugged into a Wall outlet or receptacle of a conventional alternating current system, or may be directly connected into such systemprovided the latter includes a doorbell, a buzzer, or similar device adapted when energized, to emit warning signals.

Heretofore, numerous fire alarm devices and systems have been proposed, and some of them are presently in use. However, most of these devices and the systems incorporating them are of complicated design and therefore expensive.

The primary object ofthe present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive arrangement for energizing a conventional alarm device automatically whenever a fire condition develops in an area sought to be protected.

To this end the present invention teaches the substitu- I tion `of a thermoplastic insulation for certain wires of an alarm circuit instead of the conventional insulation, and the Aapplication to said wires in selectively spaced relation, of compression spring elements adaptedto penetrate said insulation under circumstances, and for a purpose to appear. .l

Preferably, the thermoplastic insulation will `have a melting `point in the neighborhood of 160 degreesFahrenheit, although it will be understood that the melting pointV of Vsaid material would be a predetermined factor dependent on a proposed installation. The spring elements are preferably of phosphor bronze material, have an actual diameter of approximately three quarters of ank inch, and are of the tight Wound type.

The invention is illustrated on a sheet of drawings that accompanies this specification. A more comprehensive understanding of the invention and its operation may be had from the detailed description thereof that follows with reference to said drawings, wherein: Y

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a spring element that comprises the principal componentwherewith the present `in` vention attains its objective; y

yFIGURE 2 is a side view of the spring element appear-V inginFIGURE 1; e Y

FIGURE 3 isan enlarged sectional view taken on the line Y3--3 of FIGURE l; p

FIGURE 4 is a view of a pair of electrical conductors insulated in accordance with the concepts of thepresent invention, and having a plurality 'of the FIGURE 1 spring elements appropriately applied thereto in spaced relationship relatively to one another; Y 'j FIGURE 5 is an enlarged rtransverse sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of FIGURE. 4; Y

FIGURE 6 isl an enlargedv longitudinal sectional View` taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 5.illustratingV the circuit closingpaction resultant in consequence of a re condition existent in the vicinity of one of the spring elements aforesaid;

3,046,535 Patented July 24, '1962 "ice IFIGURE s is a View similari@ FIGURE 6 further inus-v trating the circuit closing'action resultant in consequence of a lire condition existent in the vicinity of the spring element aforesaid;

FIGURE 9 isa Wiring diagram illustrating lan exemplary independent alarm circuit incorporating the present invention, said circuit being adapted to be plugged into a conventional outlet of electrical energy; and

FIGURE l0 is` another wiring diagram illustrating ank are inherently biased to such disposition. Preferably butV not necessarily, the spring element 12 would be formed of Phosphor bronze material.

Appearing in FIGURES 4 through 8, is a length of house Wiring comprised of a pair of side byside wires, each includingV conductors covered with insulation. As suggested by the breaks in FIGURE 4, the wiring may be of any desired length.

In accordance with the teachings of the present inven,

tion, the electrical conductors 18 of the wires 20 are encased inl electrically insulating coverings 22 of thermoplastic material, instead of in the conventional insulative materials normally employed. For general utility in attaining the objectives of the present invention, the thermoplastic material would have a melting point of approximately l1,60 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be appreciated however, that for certain installations' the melting point of said material may either be higher or lower.

With attention directed to FIGURE 9, an independent alarm circuit generally designated 23 and incorporatingV the-present invention is diagrammatically illustrated. It'

includes an alarm device designated 24, lead wires 26, a conventional plug 28 for insertion into an. electrical outlet or wall receptacle, and a Wire 30 leading from the alarm device. Y It further includes a pair of the wires 20 each connected at one end into the circuit as indicated at 32, the opposite trailing ends of said wires being insulatively taped as indicated at 34. It will of course be underf stood that the trailing ends of the wires'20v need not be taped provided their conductors 18 do not contactl one another. It is also to be noted that the alarm 4device 24,

although indicated to be a bell, is typical of any suitable alarm, such as a buzzer and the like.

' With respect to said FIGURE 9 circuit, it will b'e assumed that the wires 20 had been appropriately strung about a room and that three Spring elements 12 had been applied thereto at selected spaced points, as suggested.v Obviously, instead of being strung about a single room,r

the wires 20 could kbe strung into and 'about a'series of rooms on for example, the iirrst floor of a two story residence. The number and spacing of the spring elements along the length f wires 20 would be course be optional.

Thus IforV example they could be applied at kapproximately fifteen footintervals.

K'I'he application ofaspringelement 12 is a simple manual,V operationj Thus, thev convolutions- `14v thereofA would bepspread Vapart. sufficiently to enable insertion therebetween of the wires 20. As previously 'noted,ithe inherent compressiveforces ofthe tight wound spring elements 12 rareconsiderable, wherefore employmentv ofY a screw driver or similar implement would facilitate thev ent.

spreading apart of the coils or convolutions 14 thereof, as is understood.

The resultant disposition of a spring element 12, after having been applied to a side by side pair of wires 20 is illustrated on an enlarged scale in FIGURES and 6. It will be observed that in consequence of the combined compressive forces of the convolutions 14 and the half convolution segments 16, portions of said convolutions penetrate into the thermoplastic coverings 22 at the points of engagementthereof by said convolutions.

With attention now directed to FIGURE l0, an alarm circuit 35 incorporating the present invention is illustrated as connected directly into the power lines of conventional household wiring designated 36. This circuit includes an alarm device typied by a door bell 24, and lead wires 26 directly connected into the wiring 36 as indicated at 38. Numeral 40 designates a conventional outdoor push button switch whereby the circuit thus far described may be closed toenergize the alarm as is customary and well understood.

In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, each of a pair of the wires would be connected at one end into the circuit as indicated at 32, the opposite or trailing ends of said wires being separated and preferably but not necessarily insulatively taped as suggested at 34. p

As in the case of the circuit 23 presented in FIGURE 9, the wires 20 may be of any desired length, and may be appropriately strung throughout any selected area within the house or other enclosure. The three spring elements 12 applied to the wires 20 as shown in FIGURE l0 are merely representative of any number of them that may be so applied in selected spacings relatively to one another.

It will be observed that the connection thereinto of the wires 20 and the thereto applied spring elements of the present invention does not affect thenormal operation of the door bell circuit 35, or any other function of the house wiring 36. Similarly, the plugging in of the independent circuit 23 shown in FIGURE 9, will have no etlect on the regular yfunctioning of any of the other electrical circuits, as should be manifest.

The operation whereby the present invention automatically attains its objective is believed to be evident from a comparison of FIGURES 5 and 6 with FIGURES 7 and 8. Thus, assuming that a fire condition should develop in the vicinity of a spring element 12, the heat generated by the fire would immediately soften the thermoplastic coverings 22, so that the inherent compressive forces of the convolutions 14 would automatically cause portions of said convolutions to penetrate through said thermoplastic coverings into engagement with the pair of electric conductors 18, whereby to close the circuit and thus energize the alarm device. Thus it should be apparent that the spring elements 12 are effective to automatically close the alarm circuit before heat generated by the tire raises the ambient temperature to the predetermined degree requisite to actually melt the thermoplastic coverings v22. It will also be observed that when the circuit is closedV by any one of the spring elements, it remains closed so that the alarm remains in continuous operation.

From the foregoing description augmented by an inspection of the drawings, it is believed manifest that the present invention provides simple `means for eifecting the continued energization of an alarm signal in response to an existent fire condition. It will be understood that the invention contemplates such modifications as may be appar- Thus for example, the addition of another coil or convolution 14 thereto obviously would result in accelerating the circuit closing action of a spring element 12. Further, it should be manifest that in the FIGURE 9 circuit, all Wires therel illustrated couldy be of the wire 20 type, vthus eliminating the necessity of the connections 32.

What I claim is:

1. In an independent alarm ycircuit adapted to be connected into a wall receptacle included in an existent electrical circuit, the combination comprising: a plug for insertion into the receptacle; an alarm device; a rst pair of wires leading from the plug, one of said wires being connected to the alarm device and the other terminating in a `free end portion; a single wire connected to the alarm device at one end and also terminating in a free; end portion; a second pair of wires each connected atone end to one of the free end portions of the irst pair of wires, each of the second pair of wires comprising a conductor covered with thermoplastic insulating material having a predetermined melting point, the trailing ends of said wires being separated; and a compression spring of metallic material applied to said second pair of wires and adapted to automatically engage the conductors thereof under lire conditions whereby to close the independenty i circuit and energize the alarm device into continuous operation, said spring consisting of tight wound spiral convolutions terminating in half convolution segments, and being manually applied to the second pair of wires by Vspreading said convolutions apart sufliciently to receive the wires therebetween, the combined inherent compressive forces of the convolutions and half convolution segments causing portions of said convolutions to penetrate into the thermoplastic insulating material aforesaid that covers the conductors of said wires.

2. In an independent alarm circuit adapted to be connected into a wall receptacle included in an existent electrical circuit, thecombination of elements recited in claim 1 wherein'the compression spring is comprised of conductive metallic material and includes at least two contiguous spirally wound convolutions each terminating in a half-convolution segment.

3. In combination with an existing alarm circuit includ-V ing an alarm device adapted to be energized by the manual closing of a switch: a pair of wires each permanently connected into said circuit at one end, the opposite trailing ends of said wires being `free and not in contact;

thermoplastic insulative material covering the conductors of said wires, said material having a predetermined melting point; and a series of spaced compression spring ele-` ments applied to said wires and adapted to automatically penetrate said material and engage the conductors of said y wires whenever the` ambient temperaturepin the vicinity of any one of said spring elements reaches-a degree approaching that adapted to melt said material whereby to close the circuit and thus energize `said alarm device for continuous operability, each of said spring elements comprising ,at least two tight wound spiral convolutions terminating in half convolution segments, and being man-ually applied to the wires by spreading said convolutions apart suiciently to receive the wires therebetween, the combined inherent compressive forces `of the convolutions and half convolution segments causing portions of said convolutions to penetrate into the thermoplasticV insulating material aforesaid that covers the conductors of said wires.

4. In combination with an electric circuit including an alarm device adapted to diffuse signals responsive to the closing of a switch also included in the circuit, an auxiliary circuit comprising: a pair of side by side wires each operatively connected at one end into said electric circuit and having its opposite end terminate in a free extremity;v

thermoplastic insulations covering the conductors of said wires, saidl insulations having a determined melting point;V

convolutions apart suiciently to receive the wires there- Y between, the combined inherent compressive forces of the convolutions and half convolution segments causing portions of said convolutions to penetrate into the thermo- 1,152,932 Caldwell Sept. 7, 1915 plastic insulating material aforesaid that cover the con- 2,100,908 Merdan Nov. 30, 1937 ductors of said wires. 2,186,112 Keen Jan. 9, 1940 2,463,745 Colardo Mar. 8, 1949 References Cited in the le of this patent 5 2,755,363 Pryor July 17, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 916,711 Johnson Mar. 30, 1909 13,001 Great Britain 1889 

